Arbor Day celebrated with planting of gumbo limbo tree - FORT MYERS

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Town of Fort Myers Beach Environmental Projects Manager Chadd Chustz (left) and Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay (right) stand in front of the town’s newly-planted gumbo limbo tree on Friday at Bay Oaks Recreational Campus in honor of Arbor Day. Photo by Nathan Mayberg

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Town of Fort Myers Beach Environmental Projects Manager Chadd Chustz (middle) with Estero Island Garden Club members Patty Feste (left to right), Ann Fossum and Cathy Turner at the Town of Fort Myers Beach Arbor Day event on Friday.

Photo by Nathan Mayberg

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Photo by Nathan Mayberg

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The Town of Fort Myers Beach honored Arbor Day with the planting of the town’s official Florida native tree and the handing out of other plants and saplings (young trees), at Bay Oaks Recreational Campus. It was the town’s first tree planting for Arbor Day since Hurricane Ian.

The highlight of the event was the planting of a gumbo limbo, the town’s official tree and an iconic Florida native tree. The tree was planted by Fort Myers Beach Environmental Projects Manager Chadd Chustza with the assistance of a tree installation company.

“With us losing so much canopy, trees and palms during Hurricane Ian, we wanted to bring this event back,” Chustz said. “It’s something we did before Hurricane Ian with the tree giveaway to local property owners. Just to remind people all the benefits of trees. Everybody likes a shady spot in the Sunshine State. The aesthetics and as well all the benefits it provides to wildlife, both the habitat and the shielding of light from the houses to the nesting sea turtles.”

Chustz said he started planting the large gumbo limbo tree last month with staff from a tree installer after it was delivered.

The Estero Island Garden Club donated $950 to the town for the acquisition of several dozen saplings, which were given out at the event. “We are happy to do it,” said Estero Island Garden Club President Cathy turner. “It’s a tremendous amount.”

Chustz said the donation of dozens of saplings from the Estero Island Garden Club featured five Florida-friendly species. The included dutrophas, a red flowering tree that attracts butterflies. Orange geigers, white flowering Southern magnolias, a red berry tree and paradise trees.

Chustz said he chose saplings for trees that have a lot of color. He thanked the Estero Island Garden Club for the donation.

Arbor Day is a national holiday that promotes conservation and the planting of trees.

Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay arrived prepared at the tree planting with a history of Arbor Day and the gumbo limbo tree. McKannay talked up the wind resistance of the gumbo limbo trees, their effectiveness at erosion control and dune stabilization, and their tolerance for salt and drought.

“This is a great opportunity set up in partnership by our environmental team and the garden club to restart a tradition here of planting a tree on Arbor Day. We chose the gumbo limbo tree for this one,” McKannay said. “It’s one of Florida’s iconic species.”

McKannay said he was impressed reading up on the gumbo limbo tree and how it sheds its bark. “It has a green bark underneath which adds to the photosynthesis capabilities of the tree and making it that much more resilient in this climate,” McKannay said.

McKannay said he is looking forward to the planting of more shade trees around the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus.

In addition to the planting on Friday, the town also planted 75 royal palm trees around the walking path that has been constructed around Bay Oaks Recreational Campus where the town’s baseball and soccer fields previously stood.

Chustz said there are plans for more plantings of trees to provide shade around the walking path. Chustz said those trees may include some mahogany, silver buttonwood and sea grape trees to provide more canopy and shade. Chustz is also planning to plant some orange geigers around the parking lot to provide more shade.

Chustz said the gumbo limbo tree is hurricane-resistant. “They do get knocked back but they will return,” Chustz said.

The town is currently working on placing new pickleball courts as part of a grant it received after Hurricane Ian. The former baseball and soccer field was damaged by Hurricane Ian and was previously used for housing debris and sand from prior hurricanes. The town has a separate Little League baseball field as well.

The Estero Island Garden Club, which has been on Fort Myers Beach since 1959 and features 42 members, will be holding their next event at the Fort Myers Beach Library on Feb. 2. Wendy Sprague will be presenting “All about Herbs,” at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be served.

Arbor Day celebrated with planting of gumbo limbo tree – FORT MYERS

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